Constellations
by ThatMaddyBee
Summary: Naruto and Sakura had been through everything together, and oh do I mean everything. Drabble Prompt 4: Chicken - Sai had never planned on being dragged into the war between Sakura and Ino, but now that Naruto was involved, he found it a lot harder to keep out of harm's way. Women were scary.
1. Chapter 1: Feathers

*Constellations: A NaruSaku Drabble Series*

Prompt 1: _Feathers_

Her ultimate weakness was an embarrassment.

She could topple mountains with her fist, slice a spinal cord with a chakra-laced pinkie and protect those around her with all her heart and soul. Unless you touched her feet. Her stupidly sensitive, overly-ticklish feet that were the bane of her existence, and _no, not the reason she wore boots with such thick soles, thank you very much Kakashi-sensei, shut up._

She'd kept this her most carefully guarded secret for years because it would only lead to merciless abuse and teasing from her so-called team mates. But she was stupid. Of course they'd figure it out, they'd been comrades for years, they knew each other in and out and they didn't keep things from each other, that was an unwritten rule. This was the exception to said rule. But then the fateful day came, and her life as she knew it was over.

Her and Naruto were busy spring cleaning her apartment on a hot April afternoon. Well, she was cleaning. He was lazily flicking a duster around while complaining incessantly about how hot he was, and how bored he was, and how _Sakura-chan, I need ramen!_ As usual, she ignored his whining. She was kneeling on her couch, reaching down the back for a forgotten scroll that had been there god knows how long.

'Just a little bit further', she thought, pushing herself up on to her knees so that almost her entire torso was hidden from view behind the sofa. So you see, you couldn't blame Naruto for glancing her way and pausing mid-rant to stare unabashedly at her ass that was waving in the air.

In retrospect, the silence should have warned her of immediate doom.

If she had been looking at him, she would have seen a grin slowly spread on his face as his attention turned from her ass to her feet, bare and kicking in the air to retain her precarious balance. With no hesitation, he leapt forward, grabbed one of her ankles and began his assault with the feather duster he held in his hands. She let loose a shriek and immediately began flailing in his grasp, managing to hit her head on the wall as she wrenched herself upwards. But Naruto was relentless and his grip on her ankle only tightened as she attempted to kick him off. All her attempts at retaliation resulted in was them both falling to the ground, her crying and screeching and laughing as she tried to control herself enough to push his hands away from her abused foot.

And, of course, that was how Kakashi found them. A pile of limbs and laughter on the floor, and he could only wonder how these two were some of the most powerful ninjas he knew.

Looked like her secret was out, and lord only knew what her team would do with this precious information. Shit, she was screwed.


	2. Chapter 2: Time

*Constellations: A NaruSaku Drabble Series*

Prompt 2: _Time_

He'd seen Sakura hurt before. Badly hurt, bloody and torn and burnt, tears streaking down her face and her body shaking as she tried to hold back her sobs. She never let people see her cry these days. He'd seen her with mark from his claws, his forbidden power, torn into the soft flesh of her shoulder and had been unable to do anything.

That waiting was the worst. The acceptance that once they were off the battlefield, he was useless. All he could do was wait, talk to her through the pain as she healed herself, then carry her home after she exhausted her chakra supplies.

But this time was different.

This was the first time he was watching her fight death.

The hospital waiting room had been all but empty when he had been sitting on a chair, bored gaze watching as Sai scrawled in the pad next to him and Kakashi read his ever-present orange book. They'd all ended up there for different reasons, but they were all staying for the same. A report had sounded over the radio in the nurses station of an in-coming ANBU team, of which several members were in critical condition. And he knew. God, he knew immediately that it was Sakura's team. She wasn't late home or anything, and he wasn't underestimating her abilities as a ninja - she was an ANBU medic now for heaven's sake - but his day had been bad from the moment he fell out of bed and of course it had to be her.

Life didn't have a tendency to be kind to him.

So here they sat, three members of Team Kakashi, hoping and praying that their fourth member wasn't about to appear as a bloody, dying mess. But prayers had never done them any good before.

The double doors flew open as Neji hobbled in, carrying a half-conscious Shikamaru over his shoulder, dragging what appeared to be a broken leg and ignoring the blood that was seeping into his eyes. Shouts rang out immediately as nurses flew into action, grabbing the boys and pushing them on to gurneys that were immediately whisked away behind closed doors. But Naruto saw the look that Neji spared him before the doors shut. A look that said many things, but one stood out more than the rest - _sorry._

Kiba was crying, his eyes frantic and desperate as he pushed his way into the room, yelling for a doctor. The body cradled in his arms was so covered in blood her hair was unrecognisable.

Naruto no longer thought she looked good in red.

A doctor carefully drew her away from the Inuzuka, who was ushered away by another nurse immediately, and placed on a gurney with urgency and utmost care. Naruto didn't even realise he was moving until he was stood over the bed, tears pouring from his widened eyes as he reached a trembling hand to stroke her face. Underneath the blood, she was pale and cold, and her chest wasn't moving.

 _She wasn't breathing._

He thought he was going to be sick. But he pushed that down as he took in the wounds that littered her skin. A jagged slash covered her abdomen, and a deep laceration decorated the crown of her head. She looked dead. But she wasn't, she couldn't be. She couldn't leave him. Not now they were finally together in a way he had dreamt about for years. But the doctor had given him his moment, and now he had a patient to save. Sakura was pushed away behind a door with a team of doctors and once again, three members of Team Kakashi were left alone in a quiet room.

And that was where they would stay until they knew she was okay. Because Naruto could do nothing for her, but hope and pray that his love for her would somehow keep her alive, and that for once the gods would pity him and not take away his most precious person.

And so began the longest night of his life.


	3. Chapter 3: Perfect

*Constellations: A NaruSaku Drabble Series*

Prompt 3: _Perfect_

Most people propose with a ring, but Naruto was most definitely not 'most people'. He'd been in a league of his own his entire life and something as normal as marriage wasn't going to stop him from being the unpredictable ball of chaotic mess that he was.

So when the time came for him to finally propose to Sakura, he just knew that it had to be perfect. After all, she was perfect, his be-all and end-all, and she deserved only the best. Months were spent searching for The Perfect Ring, missions dragging on an extra day or two so that he could traipse around jewelery stands, only to face constant disappointment. From Snow Country to Suna, nowhere had a ring that made him think 'that's it, the one'.

He was driving the guys insane.

Any time he was out of the village without Sakura, he would wear them down with his mood swings that rocketed between unbridled excitement and utter worry that she would say no. Even though they had been dating for over 2 years and no one could ever imagine them separated, he still worried. She was all he would talk about it and they just wished he would shut the hell up and ask her already. Kiba said as much, while Neji and Shikamaru would roll their eyes and Sasuke would straight up slap him round the head.

Really the girls would have been much more helpful, and possibly even sympathetic, but they wouldn't be able to keep it a secret from Sakura for the life of them. So the boys shouldered the burden, handled the constant chatter and even reassured him sometimes - this happened rarely, but every now and then Chouji would take pity on him.

Naruto and Sasuke were on a mission in Grass Country, and Naruto had just done his compulsory sweep of the jeweller's in town with no success when Sasuke stepped in to an old weapons shop to have his beloved blade sharpened. As he stood impassively over the shopkeeper, his aura demanding the man hurry the fuck up, Naruto wandered the shop with little interest. That was, until a shimmer in the corner caught his eye.

A display case stood tall and proud, illuminated by a spotlight and surrounded by a revered silence. In the case sat a sword on a velvet pillow. The sword itself was an elegantly curved, shining silver blade, sheathed in a black scabbard and swathed in crimson ribbon. It was beautiful.

It was perfect.

It was also pricey, but of course it was more than worth it. As he brought it up to the counter, Sasuke glanced first at the sword, then at Naruto before understanding cleared his eyes. The nod of approval that followed wasn't needed, but was certainly reassuring.

It had taken him months to create the perfect proposal, but then it had taken him years to get the perfect girl. He had learned early on that the wait was almost always worth it.

To say that Sakura was surprised by the proposal would be wrong. Honestly, she'd been waiting a while. He really wasn't as subtle as he thought he was. The presentation of a sword rather than a ring was, however, not what she had expected. But at the same time, this was Naruto - why had she ever thought he'd go the traditional route? This was just so him, so her, so perfect.

Naruto wasn't conventional, but then neither was she.

Who knew Sakura Haruno would get everything she ever wanted?

* * *

A/N: Two things quickly! 1) Should I put my AU drabbles here too or do you think I should keep them separate? and 2) This is probably how this is going to go, I'll add a couple more every week unless inspiration suddenly hits me (read as: unless I get super bored at work). Thanks guys, glad you're enjoying it!


	4. Chapter 4: Chicken

*Constellations: A NaruSaku Drabble Series*

Prompt 4: _Chicken_

After Sai and Ino started dating, Sakura decided to instigate a mandatory double-date with them, herself and Naruto at least every other week. Working around the occasional long-term mission, they generally managed to stick to this plan, and often went for dinner or drinks at various joints around Konoha. Sometimes though, they decided to train together.

This was when chaos tended to occur.

This particular session, that took place on a particularly sweltering day, started like any other. This meant that Sai was insulting Naruto who in turn was beating the artist to a pulp and screeching loudly as the girls flip-flopped between being best friends and worst enemies. But this was routine, and it could never be said that the members of Team Seven had normal dynamics.

"Ok, I seriously feel like my skin is peeling off, can we take a break now? Please?"

Sakura merely rolled her eyes at the pout that Ino threw her, used to her over-dramatic ways. But she had to agree, despite having shed her outer layer of clothing, her tank was still fusing to her skin with sweat. Which was a lovely thought. Throwing the blonde a nod, she flopped down beneath the shade of a tree and closed her eyes as she prayed for even the slightest of breezes to cool her off. She felt Ino lay beside her, and they stayed in companionable silence for less than a minute before, to no one's surprise, Naruto appeared and started whining.

Sakura jerked her head up at the weight that was suddenly flung on her stomach as Naruto buried his face into her abdomen, moaning about how when he was Hokage he was going to outlaw days as hot as this. Because sure, why not. This muttering continued on for several minutes as Sakura laid back down, stroking a hand absent-mindedly through his silky hair. The same hair that was nearly torn from his scalp as he suddenly reared his head up and fixed his wide, sky-blue eyes on her own jade ones.

Sakura was instantly suspicious.

"You know there is a way we can cool down and finish training at the same time."

As he spoke, Naruto's grin turned mischievous and Sakura swore to herself that if it was perverted, Konoha would have to find someone else to be the next Hokage as the trainee in front of her would be permanently indisposed.

She hated to admit it, but it had been a good idea. He did, very occasionally, have them.

A laugh pulled from her throat as she managed to land a solid hit on Ino's shoulder, who in turn shrieked, and only managed to remain balanced by grabbing harshly at a fistful of hair. It wasn't often that someone could wander past the lake behind training ground 10 and find four prestigious ninjas, all highly respected for their contributions to the village, playing an intense game of chicken. But then, if Naruto was involved, nothing was really that surprising. To be honest, anyone who saw them would probably just enjoy the fact that they could accurately describe the scene as 'two females with their legs wrapped around the necks of two boys, all of them soaking wet and stripped down to their underwear'. Now that was a rumour that needed to be circulated.

The battle had been going on for almost an hour and with the score 4 to 5 in Naruto and Sakura's favour, Ino and Sai had to step up their game to avoid being defeated in the best-of-ten that was taking place. But Sakura was agile and strong, and she balanced perfectly on Naruto's broad shoulders. His speed only made it all the more difficult for Ino to land a good hit on the pinkette, as although Sai was almost as fast as the Kyuubi container, his build was much leaner and she didn't have the support she needed.

Which was how she suddenly found herself tumbling sideways into the icy water, her legs locking even tighter around Sai's neck in reflex, which in turn brought him down on top of her. Naruto and Sakura, meanwhile, were celebrating their victory by leaping about and whooping loudly. Without offering a helping hand, they then raced to the edge of the pool, used a wind jutsu to dry off and immediately dressed.

With a grin, Sakura turned to face the other pair, who were still shoulder-deep in the water.

"Guess dinner's on you then", she laughed as she and Naruto began walking away leaving them in a tense silence.

"At least it was a close match?"

Ino turned a cold glare on her boyfriend, and instantly Sai regretted ever opening his mouth. One of these days, he'd learn to just keep quiet. Now that his head was being held underwater by an enraged Yamanaka, he did just that.


End file.
